A Girl's New Journey
by PokeNole123
Summary: A young girl who dreamed of Pokemon and adventure has her life changed forever. When one day she finds her life in danger, she meets the partner that will change her life forever. This started as a bedtime story that i would tell for my girlfriend, and ev
1. Chapter 1

There once was a girl named Jen.

She lived in a special world with special kinds of creatures in it. They were called Pokémon. Jen grew up her whole life adoring Pokémon but never could get one for herself. She lived in a town called Tenet Town, which was without a Professor or Gym, and there was no one to help her meet her first partner.

One day, Jen walked out of her room and grabbed a piece of toast. She then immediately proceeded towards the door before she heard her mom stop her

"Where are you going today young lady?"

Jen looked at her mom. Her mom had a loving smile on her face, and she knew exactly where Jen was planning on doing today. Jen was going on a walk through the forest. She did this often, as she loved nature and the innocent local Pokemon. Even if she couldn't catch one, just getting to walk as the Caterpie crawled and flocks of Pidgey flew overhead was Jen's favorite way to spend a Saturday.

"Sorry, Mom. I'm out for a walk in the Viridian. Ill be back by dinner!" Jen said quickly scurrying out the door.

Jen's mom laughed to herlef then went back to housework.

Tenet town was hardly on anyone's map. It was a small town, with less than maybe 300 people living there. It lay on the outskirts of the western side of the Viridian Forest, closed off Viridian City and Pewter by the thick woods.

Jen made her way through Tenet Town saying "Hi" to everyone that she passed. Finally she came upon the Viridian Forest.

She never ventured to deep, only walking around the outskirts, and today was no different. She walked through the trees admiring nature when a Butterfree flew by and Jen couldn't contain her smile.

"If only I could have you" she thought.

But as she walked, Jen heard a noise. She followed the faint squawking until came across a small bird Pokémon lying on the ground in a small clearing. It was gravely wounded with a deep gash across its abdomen. She immediately ran over to try and apply first aid.

She applied pressure to the Spearow's chest to try and stop the bleeding, and started tearing a part of her sleeve off to make a bandage. The Spearow rested at first, even pecked at her a bit, but eventually gave in a trusted her. Finally, she wrapped and tied the last bandage, and picked up the Spearow to take with her to the town doctor. As she turned though, she couldn't help but gasp.

She turned, and was terrified to see a giant, angry Fearow. It was obviously the mother of the Pokémon in her arms. Jen immediately set the bird down, trying to appease the mother. The spearow walked off content into the trees. Mother was not satisfied though.

The Fearow charged and swooped down at Jen in a fierce tackle. Jen leaped and tumbled out of the way, narrowly dodging the creature and scraping her arm against a stone in the process.

Jen was terrified. She didn't know if she could keep this up, and Fearow showed no signs of stopping.

Jen was about to curl up in a ball in terror, when all the sudden a young man appeared walking out from the trees. He was tall, and wore tight black T-shirt and jeans. Before Jen could even yell for help, he tossed her a red and white ball the size of a pebble.

Jen recognized it immediately from every trainer she'd seen. She pick up the ball from the ground in front of her and pressed the button. Immediately The ball grew to the size of a large baseball. Jen's natural instincts kicked in, and she tossed the ball up in the air. And in a beam of light, a small creature appeared. It was a small mouse like creature with four red spots on its back. It had a pattern of a crème coloring for its underbelly and a dark bluish gray on its back and head. Jen looked at the pokemon, and then at the giant Fearow and was still very uneasy.

The Fearow had gathered itself at this point. The bird flew up, and then dove at Jen. Jen cringed in fear. But before she was hit, the small mouse leapt at the bird and hit it with a solid tackle. The Fearow was startled and collapsed momentarily off to the side.

As Jen opened her eyes again, she saw the small mouse standing right next to her leg, ready to defend her again. The Fearow gathered itself though, and was gearing up for a Drill Peck; it's most powerful attack. It opened its wings and began to fly at Jen. She cringed, and then all of the sudden she felt an immense heat by her left leg. She looked down to see that the mouse was on fire!

The Pokémon unleashed a smothering stream of flames at the Fearow, out of its small mouth. The bird fell to the ground, lying there only for a moment before fleeing into the woods, several feathers still burning.

Jen looked at the small fire type, and was amazed. And then all the sudden, the flames went out, and the mouse relaxed. Out of the woods came the young man again.

"Congratulations. That was quite the show! It seems like you just found your first Pokémon." Said the mysterious young man.

"What Pokémon is it?" Jen asked looking down at her new companion.

"She's a Cyndaquill. Very loyal, and full of potential." The young man said.

Jen knelt down and picked up her new partner and said,

"I owe you my life. And I'm dedicating the rest of mine to making you the strongest and happiest Pokémon ever."

"What are you gonna name her?" The young man asked.

"I'll call you Cindy"


	2. Chapter 2

Jen held her newfound partner in her arms. She gazed at Cindy, amazed that such power could come from such a small creature. Jen looked at the mysterious young man who had given her the Pokemon.

"Who are you?" Jen asked.

"My name is Nelson." The young man said. "I was on my way into town when I heard the commotion."

"So. Your a Pokemon trainer?" Jen asked.

"Of sorts. I got my first Pokemon about 8 years ago." The young man answered. "But do I go to Gyms collecting badges? No not anymore. I tried it, it wasn't for me."

"Interesting. So you caught Cindy?" Jen asked looking at the small Pokémon in her arms.

"I found an egg out in the wilderness about 3 months ago with a mother no where to be found. I waited for hours to see if a mother would return, but after no appearance I decided to pick it up and take it with me. That egg was 'Cindy'." He replied as her made "air quotes" for the name. "I was actually on my way into Tenet Town to put her up for adoption. But then I came across you, and it seemed like you needed her." Nelson replied.

"Well. Thank you." Jen said with a smile. "There must be something I can do for you in return? Can I pay you?"

"No, that won't be necessary. Consider Cindy a gift. I never turn down a free meal though?" Nelson offered as his stomach growled.

"Well my house is just over the hill. Just this way!"

The pair walked through the woods towards town, Cindy following closely as she walked in between them. Jen couldn't help but notice Nelson. He was older than her, about 18, and was tall and average build, though was very toned and obviously strong. He had short brown hair, and a thin beard where you could tell he simply hadn't shaved in a day or two. She noticed a small scar on his left cheek, and wondered how he got it.

As they reached the town, Jen looked at the Pokéballs on his waist and was curious.

"Do you have other Pokemon?" Jen asked.

"Well I've got several. You wouldn't think I'd give you my one and only Pokémon, would you?" Nelson replied sarcastically.

"Well. Can I see one?" Jen asked.

Nelson reached down at his magnetized belt and pulled off a ball. He pressed the button and threw the ball into the air, and out emerged Pokemon in a flash of light.

The Pokemon resembled a young boy with light purple skin and brown skinned legs resembling pants. It was thin and yet muscular, with a jagged head resembling a hairstyle.

"This is my most recent catch. Meet my Tyrogue, his name is Chet." Nelson said patting his Pokemon on the head.

Jen grinned, and got a devilish look on get face. Nelson knew exactly what she meant to do.

"GO!" They both shouted simultaneously.

Jen felt her natural instincts kicking in. Her first real Pokemon battle. Cindy ran past her with her fire ablaze.

"Cindy use tackle!"

"Chet! Hit her with Fake out!"

Chet leapt at the small fiery rodent and clapped the sides of its ears, disorienting it. Cindy gathered herself and launched into a tackle, but that lost second allowed Chet to easily dodge.

"Chet! Try that Low Kick we've been practicing!" Nelson shouted.

Chet focused and then launched its foot at Cindy, but Cindy weaved away. Before Nelson could even give a command though, Chet followed up with a pound attack which sent Cindy back in a tumble.

Jen was about to run and comfort her, when she saw Cindy get up and shake herself back into fighting position. Jen smiled and then directed herself back at the battle. She thought for a moment and realized that up close Nelson had the advantage, but from a distance…

"Chet! Hit her with tackle!" Nelson yelled.

Chet launched itself at Cindy with full force and dropped his shoulder into a tackle.

"Dodge it Cindy, and let him feel the burn! Flame burst!"

Cindy rolled out of the way, and launched a fireball at the passing Tyrogue. Chet was hit square in the back, and got severely burned. He winced as he turned around, and searched for his opponent.

"Cindy! Circle around and hit him with a headbutt!" Jen yelled.

Tyrogue failed to locate the rodent in time, and Cindy landed her blow right where Chet had been burned.

The pain of the direct blow in such a sensitive spot was too much too bear and Tyrogue fell to the ground, finished.

"Chet! Return!" Nelson said as a bright beam withdrew his partner from the battle. "Your a real natural at this Jen!"

Jen smiled and even blushed a little. "Thank you!" She said as she turned to Cindy. "You were fantastic Cindy. I love you!"

Cindy nuzzled against Jen's leg in response.

Jen reached down to pick up Cindy when, all of the sudden, Jen was knocked to the ground. A man had soved her to the ground and then grabbed Cindy and threw her into a small square cage.

Jen screamed at her assailant. "GET AWAY FROM HER!"

The thief didn't acknowledge her though, and quickly fled into the forest. Jen scrambled to her feet and chased after him.


	3. Chapter 3

Cindy was scared. She had tried over and over again to heat up and let loose an burst of flames, but every time she caught fire the cage would give her a terrible shock.

Cindy looked helplessly at her kidnapper. This man was older, probably in his late 30's and wore long black pants and a long sleeved black shirt. On his head, he wore a black beret, and she noticed that tattooed on the back of his neck, was a red "R".

Cindy thought of Jen. She wondered when Jen would come save her. She lay down in the cage, helplessly whining and waiting for her new friend to come for her.

Jen wasted no time in pursuit, but she quickly realized that in that fall, she had twisted her ankle. She didn't care though, and continued to sprint desperately despite the pain. But it wasn't long until the thief lost her, and Jen dropped to her knees and cried. She couldn't believe this. How could she have let this happen? She was the worst trainer in the world. How could she love with herself knowing that she couldn't protect Cindy...

Jen then looked and saw a charred spot on a tree in front of her. Cindy had done that! Jen rose with newfound conviction, and ran in the direction of the tree. She then found a trail of burn marks on the trees, grass, and leaves. She followed them in a sprint.

The thief sat down in a small clearing and caught his breath. Generally speaking, he would've just eliminated the girl right there with his Pokémon, but he figured that injured Tyrogue wasn't the only thing that guy had on his belt. And he couldn't risk it.

So instead he put up with the pursuit. It wasn't a big deal, and Cyndaquills are so rare in these parts, it was well worth the effort. But for now he'd just relax. He'd start working on the "detachment process" in a minute. For now, he grabbed his flask from his pocket and drank.

The burn marks were getting fader and scarcer. Jen was concerned. Was Cindy still tired from the battle? Was he hurting her? Either way she had to find her soon.

Jen eventually came upon a clearing, and couldn't believe her luck. There was Cindy! Jen lost control of her emotions. She picked up a thick stick to use as a club and charged.

"GIVE ME BACK MY POKEMON!" She screamed as the sprinted at the kidnapper.

The kidnapper sighed, and tossed his own pokeball in the air. Out burst a large snake as tall as Jen. It was a light purple, with a yellow stripe around its neck.

"Ekans! Wrap her up!" The thief yelled.

The snake sprung at Jen. Jen swung her club at the snake's head, but the stick broke with little impact. Jen was constricted by the Ekans.

"You just wont give up will you?" The thief said as he walled up to Jen and brushed her cheek. Jen winced.

"Your Pokémon's gonna be okay. She's exactly what I'm looking for actually. She'll fetch quite the price." He said gesturing back to the caged Pokémon.

"But I can't have you following me anymore. You're not worth the effort. Ekans. End it."

She couldn't even scream as she felt herself begin to lose her ability to breathe. The grip just got tighter and tighter, until she couldn't take it, and she began to give in. All the sudden the last breathe of air went out of her lungs, and her vision began to fade...

"Marowak! Bonemerang!"

And out if the trees a thick club whirled towards the Evans and hit it square in the jaw with a mighty WHACK. The Ekans collapsed and immediately loosened its grip and slithered away to gather itself. Jen gasped for air and took moment to recover. She watched Nelson run into the clearing with a Pokémon at his side.

About as tall as Nelson's leg; Marowak was brown with a white skull on his head. Two intense eyes poked out of it, and he held out his hand as his bone whirled back right into his palm.

She then looked back at the kidnapper, whom had decided it was time to make an exit.

The thief threw out three pokeballs, and then ran. Before they even finished releasing, Nelson shouted.

"We'll take care of these! Get Cindy!"

Jen acknowledged him and ran after the thief, her ankle really starting to cause her pain. The man eventually turned around from his sprint, holding the cage with Cindy in his left arm, and he pulled out a revolver with his left. He fired 3 shots at Jen as she dove behind a tree. He had missed all three, but Jen had felt one buzz past her head.

He fired two more as he began to turn and flee, both missing, but Jen didn't give up and kept chasing him. She picked up another club off the ground and sprinted.

Finally, the thief opened the cage and grabbed Cindy. Holding her up against his shoulder, he put the gun to her head.

"Put the stick down and run away, or I will spray her brains all over this forest!" He yelled as he cocked the revolver.

Jen looked at Cindy as tears ran down her face. This was it. Her Pokémon adventure was going to end like this.

All of the sudden, Jen heard the man scream in agony and the gunfire. Cindy had fired up, and her back flames scorched the kidnappers face. In agony he errantly fired his last shot in the air. Cindy dropped to the ground, too weak to contribute much more to the fight.

Jen sprinted, and right as he began to gather himself, she swung her club straight across the man's burnt face. He fell to the ground and collapsed. Jen dropped the club and Cindy leapt into her arms. She squeezed her tightly and smiled, as the first good tears of this day ran down her cheeks.

"I'll never lose you again..." Jen promised. And they sat there for a moment just holding each other.

Jen heard a noise and looked up. Nelson was there, and he was tying the thief up against a nearby tree with some rope from His pack. He noticed the R tattoo, and Nelson's face went intense.

"What are you doing?" Jen asked.

"Jen. I've been looking to capture one of these men for a long time. And you've just helped me do it." Nelson said softly as he tightened his knots.

"Who are you Nelson? Who are you really?" Jen asked clutching Cindy tighter.

Nelson sighed, and pulled out from his front pocket a small wallet. He opened it up, and there was a badge. "Poke Ranger Nelson Drake. CID"


	4. Chapter 4

Jen was confused.

"What exactly is.. a ranger?" Jen asked as she inspected the badge.

"Hmmm. You can tell you haven't spent much time outside of your town. You've really never heard of us?" Nelson asked looking at her in surprise.

"Well. You protect the wild Pokémon from poachers and stuff right?"

Nelson chuckled as he stood up and looked off into the trees. He thought about who he was when he first became a ranger.

"Your correct. The rangers are an organization of Pokémon trainers who are trained to protect the Pokémon of the wild from mass capture or poaching. They also take it upon themselves to help any Pokémon trainers who need help traversing the wilderness." Nelson explained.

"So how long have you been a ranger?" Jen asked.

"5 years. I enlisted at 13. Been in ever since." Nelson said with a hint of nostalgia in his voice.

"Well. Why did you join? Why not travel the world collecting badges like most trainers?" Jen asked.

"I always grew up around Pokémon. And like I said before, I was given my first Pokémon at age ten. But… Let's just say that it was a decision I had to make at the time. It's a good life though in the Rangers. They supply you Pokémon if needed, they teach you survival skills, and the pay is solid too." Nelson explained.

"Well. That's all well and good. But what does that have to do with this guy?" Jen asked gesturing back at the unconscious body.

Nelson sighed. It's not as though he was top secret. It's not as though it would jeopardize the Rangers. It was still his job to keep a low profile though… But he the more he thought about it, he realized that shipped has sailed. Nelson showed the badge to Jen one more time.

"Note those last three letters. CID. Any idea what they mean?" Nelson asked.

"I really cant say" Jen replied.

"Covert Investigation Division. Along with all the Rangers public business, sometimes there is a need to further investigate threats to Pokémon. That's when they call in the CID. We travel, gather Intel, and take action when needed." Nelson explained.

"But. What could be a big enough threat to Pokémon that they'd need to call in the CID?"

"Well. The majority of what we handle in the CID? Smuggling. Pokémon smuggling is the biggest crime racket in the region. People will poach Pokémon from preserves and steal Pokémon from trainers, just so they can be sold for a profit on the black market. The CID works hard to shut those things down." Nelson elaborated.

"And that's why you were after him?" Jen asked. "Because you were trying to catch a poacher?"

"I'm here investigating Tenet Town. I had gotten a tip that a group of poachers had started setting up shop there. That's why I came here. To try and flush out one of these guys so that he could lead me to the others. I've been after this gang for months and never got close. All the sudden, I'm close to taking these guys down!" Nelson said excitedly.

Jen thought about all this. It was incredible, but there was one thing that just didn't add up.

"If you were here on this mission, why did you stop to help me? Why did you give me Cindy rather than just using her to save me? How could you just give away a Pokémon? "

Nelson went silent for a moment as he formulated his thoughts. He had to be very careful with his words.

"Jen. One thing you have to know. I didn't raise Cindy, and I didn't find her in the wild. She was issued to me. Cindy… was bait. I wa-"

"SHE WAS BAIT!?" Jen screamed.

Jen ran up to Nelson and smacked him across his face. 'Damn, that was a hell of a shot' Nelson thought.

"Jen listen to m-"

"No! You were going to use my Pokémon as a pawn in your scheme!" Jen yelled.

"Considering how she wouldn't even be your Pokémon if it wasn't for me, maybe you should give me a minute to explain myself." Nelson interjected.

That took the wind out of Jen's sails. She relaxed for a minute and sat back down on the ground. Cindy jumped into her arms and she clutched her tightly.

"Okay. Cindy was given to me to use as bait for the job. And I was on my way into Tenet Town to put her up for sale and draw out one of these thugs. But when I came across a quick thinking, caring, and passionate young girl who needed help, I thought you needed Cindy more than I did." Nelson explained.

"But how did you know that I would be a good trainer in the first place?" Jen questioned.

"Because I watched you take care of that spearow. I saw that love you had for Pokémon. Couple that with the quick instinct to I saw you use to avoid that Fearow, and I knew you were going to be a natural. So I decided to give you a chance to fend for yourself first before I took over." Nelson explained as he looked at the girl with a slight affinity in his voice.

"Well. Was that battle part of your plan too? Just a way to draw out a kidnapper?" Jen accused.

"Of course not. Cindy was no longer my Pokémon to use that way. I had no desire for that to happen. I was just fortunate to have everything turn out okay the way it did." Nelson said gesturing at the tied up thief. "But I cannot apologize enough Jen. I promise I had no intention of putting your life in danger like that."

Jen was still angry. But the more she thought about it, she was more mad herself than anyone else. She still felt guilty for letting that guy take Cindy, and she was just using Nelson as a scapegoat for how she was feeling.

"What's our next step?" Jen asked looking at Nelson intensely.

"OUR next step? I'm sorry Jen, bu-"

"No Nelson. You got Cindy and I tied into this, and we're gonna see it through. So, what's OUR next step?" Jen asked looking at Nelson with a half smirk.

Nelson sighed.

"I suppose…?" Nelson looked at the thief who had just begun waking up. "An interrogation."


	5. Chapter 5

Nelson had never had to do this part. Technically, the rangers had trained him in basic interrogation, but he had never done this on anything more than a dummy. Well, while he was unsure how this was going to go down, he definitely knew that he didn't want Jen to watch. He looked at the groggy thief and then thought about an excuse to get rid of Jen for a while.

"Jen," Nelson said as he tossed her three Pokéballs, "there are three fainted Pokémon back in the field. Take these and return them into their balls. We don't want them gaining consciousness and attacking."

Jen wasn't stupid enough to not see what Nelson was doing, but she couldn't think of a good enough excuse to say no. She nodded and walked off with the Pokeballs in hand.

Nelson turned and faced the criminal. The middle aged man had some obvious minor scarring on his face from Cindy's fire, and along with that he had a large swelling lump from Jen's swing. He was about fully conscious by this point, and Nelson thought about how he could leverage him. Nelson squatted down in front on the thief.

"What is your name?" Nelson asked firmly.

"None of your business." The agent replied.

The agent then recoiled and spat in Nelson's face.

Nelson recoiled and wiped his face. He took a Pokeball off his belt and released it. In a flash of light, his Marowak appeared. Nelson lowered his hand, and his Marowak hesitantly handed Nelson his bone. Nelson grasped it in his hand and began speaking.

"Do you know very much about the Marowak? Really interesting Pokémon. One of the few that actually uses a weapon." Nelson said as he gave the bone a swing across the man's face.

The thief hollered in pain as the bone hit his already swelling face.

"You see this bone is made out an equivalent to pure enamel. If you don't know, enamel is actually the outer substance on human teeth, and the hardest substance in the human body. Now before you get confused, its not as though he takes teeth to make his bone, but scientists have determined that the bone is simply made out of the same substance. The difference? We have only small amount of enamel only on our teeth's outer coating, Marowak has a bone that is totally solid." Nelson explained with a hint of condescendence in his voice.

"Well thanks for the science lesson kid, but I'm n-"

Nelson smacked his face again with the bone and there was a loud crack. The man's cheekbone had broken, and he yelled in pain.

"See, what your not getting is that this is one of the hardest natural substances around! It will never break or bend! I can do this ALL DAY!" Nelson yelled in his face.

Nelson could tell the man was getting shaken up. He was a crook, not a hardened soldier. He was close to his breaking point. Nelson just hoped he wouldn't have to do much more to him.

"Now. Who are you?" Nelson asked in a calmer voice.

"My name is James." The thief said quietly.

"Nice to meet you James. Now what is the name of your gang?" Nelson asked with another condescending tone.

"I don't have a gang, I was just a guy looking for a quick score." James replied.

Nelson grabbed James by the hair and yanked his head down, revealing the bright red "R" tattoo on the back of his neck.

"Oh really? Then what is that?" Nelson asked calmly. "Enough shit. You tell me what this 'R' means right now or I take a whack at your spine!"

"Try your worst you little prick!" The thug yelled.

Nelson lifted his head up so he could see and shrugged at him. He then threw his head down again and lifted his bone. As he swung down, finally he heard James yell before he made contact.

"WAIT! FINE! It means Rocket okay!? TEAM ROCKET! Please just don't hurt me anymore"

Nelson leaned over and spoke.

"Now was that so hard? You made this harder than it needed to be. Now, where is the hideout in Tenet Town?" Nelson questioned.

"It's in the basement of the town granary. There's a group of about five down there. Now I've cooperated! Let me go!" James yelled.

Nelson handed Marowak his bone and returned him to his Pokeball. He then took off his pack and began taking out supplies. He pulled out a small map and marked their location with a bright red "X". Nelson then took a small bottle and poured a glob of ointment on his hand. He lightly rubbed it on the man's burns, and then took a cloth to wipe away the blood on his face. He then lifted James' face and forced him to drink from a small bottle of water, and even unwrapped a protein bar put it in his mouth and fed him.

"I'll be sure to hand this map to town authorities when we get back. They'll come get you AFTER ive taken care of your boys. That ointment should prevent any serious scarring as well as disinfect your wounds. Along with that, that ration should be enough to keep you from starving for the next 24 hours. By then you should be rescued. Thanks for the help James!" Nelson said as he picked up his supplies and walked away despite the desperate shouting of the tied up criminal.


	6. Chapter 6

Jen walked through the forest with Cindy on her shoulder and a lot on her mind.

She really did trust Nelson. He had saved her life for starters, and he seemed to really be the good guy here. But she was still frustrated with the whole thing. Even if her mind could logically forgive him, her heart hadn't yet.

As Jen walked, she thought about Cindy, and started to realize just how rare her Pokémon was. Jen wasn't positive, but she was pretty sure Cindy wasn't even from this region! The more Jen thought about it, it seemed like she would've made effective bait. She would fetch a killing on the black market here!

Jen then started to think about the kidnapper, and what kind of things he was probably enduring right now. Jen could here occasionally screams, but it was hard for her to feel bad for the man. He had tried to kill her, and possibly even worse, had stolen Cindy. He had what was coming to him.

Cindy nuzzled Jen's cheek and gave a quiet purr. To this, Jen smiled and picked Cindy up and hugged her. One thing that had happened so quickly was her connection with Cindy. Both the trainer and Pokémon had bonded very fast and very deeply.

Cindy had saved Jen's life, and now Jen had returned the favor. And because of that, they trusted each other as though they had been together for years.

Jen and Cindy walked through the trees and into the clearing where she saw the three Pokémon Lying on the ground. She pulled out the Pokéballs from her pocket and begin returning them.

She walked over to her the first Pokémon and inspected it. It was a large brown rat-like Pokémon. The Pokémon had disgusting huge fangs, and Jen was tired of looking at them. She fired the returning beam from one of the balls at the Pokémon, though it simply bounced off.

Jen was confused, but then realized the likely had the wrong ball. On her second try though, she returned the Pokémon to its ball. She then proceeded to the next one.

The second Pokémon Jen inspected was a large balloon life Pokémon. It was a purple ball with holes all over it. It had a small face and a skull and crossbones on its center. Even fainted, small puffs of gas spewed out of the Koffing's holes. Jen pulled out a ball, and this time returned it on her first try.

The final Pokémon was one that Jen had already been acquainted with. Ekans lay on the ground unconscious, and Jen looked at the snake with a hint of fear in her heart. She couldn't help but imagine the snake waking up and snapping at her again, and before she got too worked up, she pulled out the last ball and returned it.

As Jen turned around, she spotted on top of a tree a large Fearow. Immediately, Cindy leapt off her shoulder and onto the ground in front of her. Jen's thoughts raced to the Fearow she had faced just earlier that morning, and thought that there was no way this could be the same one. But then the bird turned to face the other direction, and Jen saw the scorched feathers on its side. That was, in fact, the same Fearow.

The Fearow glanced down at Jen, and then looked away. It appeared to Jen that Fearow wasn't necessarily a threat at this moment.

Jen wasn't quite letting her guard down, but she still grabbed Cindy and started walking away. As Jen started walking across the clearing, she didn't see a small Weedle that was lying there in the grass. The small orange worm with the large poisoned spike on its head sat there in wait for suspecting prey to pass. And this included Jen.

Jen walked closer and, all the sudden, as she approached the hiding Weedle, the Fearow swooped down towards them. Jen and Cindy leapt back and readied themselves for battle. Cindy lit up her back and prepared to unleash her flames all over the giant bird.

But then, the Fearow didn't attack Jen or Cindy. Instead it put it's burnt back to the pair and pecked at the Weedle with its long beak. The Fearow flipped the worm up in the air for Jen and Cindy to see and then snapped it in its mouth and ate the Weedle whole.

Jen realized what Fearow had in fact done for her. Weedle poison was fatal, and this Fearow wasn't attacking her, it was protecting her.

"Cindy relax." Jen said calmly to the burning Pokémon.

She walked up and placed a hand on the Fearow's back and pet the giant bird. The bird had basically recovered from the fight, except the burns on its back. She stroked the birds neck. The bird was tense, but not aggressive.

"You were just scared for your chick before weren't you?" Jen asked looking the Fearow in the eyes. "Is your chick better now?"

The Fearow closed its eyes and make a quiet squawk in response. Jen thought about all this, and began to wonder.

"Is your chick safe? Are there others to take care of it?" Jen asked with a small hint of soft excitement in her voice.

The Fearow once again closed its eyes and gave the same squawk. Jen found it hard to imagine this bird had tried to kill her only this morning considering how tame it acted now.

"How would you like to come with me? Do you want me to be your trainer?" Jen asked hesitantly.

The Fearow opened its wings and floated a few paces from Jen, and then turned to face her. It then bowed it's head, Jen assumed in anticipation for a Pokeball. But Jen realized, she didn't have any empty balls!

"Hey! Looks like you could use this!"

Jen turned to see Nelson tossing her a Pokeball. Jen caught it, smiled at the young ranger, and then threw it at the Fearow. The ball wiggled twice, and then settled with a calming tone.

Jen jumped in the air for joy. She caught her first Pokémon! She reached down for Cindy and threw her up in the air, then caught her and spun her around in celebration.

"How does it feel?" Nelson asked her with a smile.

"Like I just found another best friend. "


	7. Chapter 7

Jen and Nelson jogged hastily out of the Viridian Forest and into Tenet Town.

"So this town really has no Pokémon Center?" Nelson asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. But it does have a small clinic on the far side of town, if we hurry we might be able to catch the doctor before he goes home!" Jen replied.

"Then lets hurry, Fearow needs treatment or she'll suffer some serious scarring from those burns," Nelson yelled as they began to run even faster.

When Nelson had first inspected the burns on Fearow's back, he treated them with some ointment spray he had on him. He had done the best he could, but the Fearow needed real treatment. Otherwise, the feathers on her back wouldn't ever grow back and it could be permanently hurt.

And Jen was not going to let that happen.

Getting out of the forest had been a bit of a hassle. Breaking into a full sprint on their way out, they had caught the attention of several wild Pokémon, so Cindy and Marowak had been kept busy defeating various Pokémon such as Rattata and Weedle as they ran.

Now they were sprinting through town, and Jen was already worried that they weren't going to make it in time. She was getting tired, and was totally out of breath, but she couldn't stop running.

She looked to her left at Nelson, who didn't seem to be struggling at all. His Ranger conditioning seemed to be serving him well now.

Finally, Jen could see the clinic, and the Doctor had just started closing up for the night.

Doctor Grief had not had a good day. Running a clinic in a small town is a pretty boring job, and he had just finished a long day of sitting in his office waiting for someone to need him. Generally this wasn't a big deal, but his TV was out. So his day had been dreadfully boring.

So when it was finally closing time, Grief was very ready to finally get home to his family. So much so that he couldn't help but groan when he heard,

"Doctor Grief! We have a hurt Pokémon that needs treatment! Please don't close up shop!"

Grief turned to see a young girl he recognized immediately. Jen had been a frequent visitor. She was always coming in with scrapes and bruises; she'd even had a couple close calls with Weedle stings and Rattata bites. Grief was tired and frustrated, but he just couldn't turn her away. Grief sighed and walked back into his office.

Jen walked into Dr. Grief's office and finally stopped to catch her breath. She handed the Pokéball to Grief and motioned for Nelson to explain. Nelson immediately went into details about how Fearow's injuries and what treatment he'd administered.

Grief was confused, but didn't ask questions and just focused on the task ahead of him. He worked on people more than Pokémon, so whenever he treated Pokémon he took extra caution. Even so, he seldom worked on a Pokémon as big as this Fearow.

Grief released the Pokémon from her ball and began inspecting the burns. The ointment that Nelson had administered had slowed any sort of scarring or infection, but the burns were fairly intense.

Grief couldn't help but wonder as he worked. How had the bird had been hurt? Who burned him? Who was this boy with her? How had Jen gotten a Pokémon!?

But Grief had to focus.

Jen stood on the other side of the Fearow petting her neck trying to keep her calm. Fearow tensed up and almost lost control several times as Grief touched her burns, but always looked at Jen for comfort.

Finally Grief wrapped the burned areas on Fearow's back with bandages and let the bird relax.

"She should be okay by morning. The medicine should heal the burns, and her feathers will grow back with time. Luckily you got her here now, too much longer and there could've been permanent damage." Grief explained.

"Thank you Dr. Grief. I owe you one," Jen said smiling at the big bird.

"I think what you owe me, is an explanation." Grief replied with his arms crossed.

Jen was at a loss for words, not sure where to begin. She looked at Nelson for assistance, but he just shrugged.

"It's all yours Jen," Nelson said as he turned towards Dr. Grief, "By the way, thank you Doctor, if you could also take a look at my Tyrogue? He has a minor burn on his back, and could use some ointment as well."

The Doctor cautiously nodded and retrieved the same medicine. Nelson released Chet from his ball, took the medicine from Grief and administered similar treatment as was done on Fearow. Chet still had the small burn on it's back from his fight with Cindy earlier that day, but in short order he seemed to be fine.

"Jen, I'll be back in a couple hours. Do you mind keeping an eye on Chet for me?" Nelson asked.

Jen immediately wondered what Nelson was going to be up to, but finally decided it was best for her to stay with the Pokémon. She nodded at Nelson in response. Nelson shook the doctor's hand, gave the Tyrogue a pat on the head and whispered something in his ear, and then walked out the door.

Jen then turned back to the Doctor who was still staring at her with crossed arms. She sighed and decided to fill him in on her eventful first day as a trainer.


	8. Chapter 8

Nelson was glad to finally get some time away from Jen, as he had work to do. He made his way to the outskirts of Tenet Town, where he came across the town granary. Nelson pulled out a pair of binoculars from his pack and immediately began surveilling building.

It was a single story office building attached to a large steel silo. He remembered his interrogation of James, and that the hideout was apparently in the basement of the building. What he didn't know was where the entrance to that basement was hidden.

He moved his binoculars down near the front door, and saw a middle age man approach it. There was a small keypad near the front door, where the man entered in four digits and unlocked the door.

If the only way in required this code, then Nelson had to figure this out. Now. If he didn't go into this mission with full information at his disposal, the whole thing could be in jeopardy.

Nelson had to get a closer look.

He pulled Marowak's Pokéball off of his belt and released it. The bone-headed Pokémon immediately turned and nodded at Nelson. Nelson pointed at the building, and then gestured at Marowak to stay quiet and follow him.

The pair quickly and quietly made their way down to the building's entrance. Nelson signaled at Marowak to cover his back while he examined the keypad and began to work.

He grabbed a small box and a small brush out of his pack. He opened the small box and inside was a fine white powder, which he pressed his brush into. He began brushing the keypad with the fine powder, and then with a puff blew away the excess powder. All this succeeded in revealing the four digits on the keypad with fingerprints. 4,7,9, and 2.

It took a while, but after a dozen or so attempts of typing in different combinations of the numbers, he finally succeeded and the door unlocked with a click. Nelson looked at Marowak.

"Somewhere inside is some sort of door leading to the gang's hideout in the basement of this building. Go in, locate it, get out. Don't hurt anyone and don't be seen." Nelson whispered as he cracked the door open.

Marowak nodded in response and took off.

Marowak was never too fond of these stealth missions. The Rangers had trained him to do so, but he was still a Pokémon at heart. He much preferred a real battle to sneaking around. But he knew Nelson needed him, so he took his task very seriously.

As soon as he entered the room, he noticed a guard sitting in a chair facing a TV on the far wall. Marowak was glad he hadn't been facing the door. It was surprising that he didn't notice the door unlocking.

Marowak immediately dove underneath a nearby desk to avoid sight. After a moment, Marowak peeked his head around and began examining the room.

He first started by examining the floor, looking for any sort of trapdoor or staircase. No luck there. He then started looking for anything in the room that could be hiding or be used to reveal a basement door. No luck there either.

He looked across the room right next to the guard and saw a door leading into a hallway. Marowak decided it was time to move on, and that he had to sneak by this guard. Marowak stomped on the ground lightly, and used Magnitude. It was a small tremble, just a Magnitude 1, which Marowak directed outside.

The guard was startled, and stood up to look out the window at what was happening. This was Marowak's chance. Silent as possible, he bolted into the hallway. Marowak looked around him in the strange building, and realized that he was inside grain silo.  
There was a small corridor that circled around the inside of the silo, with the a layer of steel separating the hallway from several thousand pounds of wheat. Marowak walked quickly through the round steel hallway until he came upon another keypad like the one outside. Marowak looked at his feet, and noticed that he was standing on top of the trap door he had been looking for. Marowak had identified his goal, and it was time to go.

Marowak began thinking of perhaps some way he could investigate more, perhaps find the code to the keypad. He eventually decided though that it wasn't worth the risk. He would simply return to Nelson and let him take care of that later.

Then right as he stepped off the trap door, Marowak heard it begin to open.

Marowak bolted around the steel hallway and could hear voices and grunts from two men as they climbed out of the trapdoor. They were calling for the guard in the front room and the guard called back in response. Marowak was worried he would be cornered.

In the circular hallway, with two grunts behind him, Marowak was circling around the right side of the silo. If the entrance's guard chose to go in Marowak's direction, he would be trapped. Marowak waited with the guard right around the corner and prepared himself to fight his way out should he have to. He got his bone ready to fling, when he heard the guards steps turn away from him.

Marowak peeked around the corner to assure he was walking away, nodded to himself, and bolted out into the first room and out the front door. As soon as Marowak exited he saw Nelson and nodded at him. Nelson smiled in reply and returned him to his Pokéball.

"Good work buddy, now lets take these guys down."


End file.
